The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) by Kristen Painter Page A

closed. “Good morning. I’m Tessa Blythe. Sebastian invited me for breakfast. Well, for more than that, really, but you probably know all about that already.”
    “I do. Quite generous of you to help him out this way. May I take your coat?”
    “Sure. Thank you.”
    “If you’ll follow me, Mr. Ellingham is in the library.”
    Sebastian stiffened as their footsteps came closer. It was no accident he’d positioned himself in this room on this morning. He wanted her to be impressed and if there was any room in his house he thought capable of accomplishing that, it was his library.
    The double doors opened and Greaves stepped in. “Mr. Ellingham, your guest has arrived.”
    Sebastian folded the paper and stood as Tessa walked in.
    Her hair was down and she wore a simple wine-colored dress with a scoop neck that showed off her slender throat and lovely collarbones.
    He’d not had such attractive company for breakfast since Evangeline had been sharing his bed. “Good morning, Tessa.”
    “Good morning.” But her eyes were not on him. They were on the room. Slowly, she walked deeper into the space, her gaze sweeping up the shelves to the second-story balcony that encompassed the room then back down again, lingering only briefly on the collection of antique weaponry hung around the fireplace before her inspection returned to the books.
    He smiled, pleased that he’d been right. His nerves disappeared. “We’ll take our coffee in here, Greaves. And tell Frauke we’d like breakfast in half an hour.” He’d borrowed his grandmother’s cook, not trusting Greaves with anything beyond toast.
    “Very good, sir.” Greaves left with a nod.
    Sebastian turned to watch her. Her face was awash in abject wonder, giving him the feeling that he was being made privy to a rather intimate view of her. “What do you think of my library?”
    She shook her head. “It’s beautiful. And so well stocked. It reminds me of the library at Harmswood.”
    “It should. I used this one as a model, expanding the school’s version to handle all the academic books as well.”
    Her gaze finally met his. “You designed that library?”
    “I gave my input. Architecture has always been a bit of a hobby but I can’t take the credit for that space. All I did was make some sketches that were then turned into the final plans by a man much more skilled than I.”
    She looked around again. “If I had a room like this, I would never leave it.”
    They were so alike. The realization brought him inordinate pleasure. “I rarely do.”
    Greaves returned with their coffee service, setting it up on the side table. “Anything else, sir?”
    “That will be all, thank you.”
    Greaves left them alone again.
    Sebastian lifted the silver carafe. “How do you like your coffee?”
    “In a vat. I might be a little addicted.” She smiled and walked toward him. “Is there cream and sugar?”
    “There is.” He filled two cups. “Americans do like their java, don’t they? Cream is in the little pitcher and the sugar cubes are in the covered dish.”
    She gave him a strange look. “So do you still think of yourself as a British citizen? I was under the impression that you’d been in the United States for quite a while.”
    “I have been. All my family has. Technically, I suppose I’m more American than British now. We’ve lived here far longer than we lived in England. Still, it’s hard to change one’s mindset.”
    She fixed her cup. “Especially when you don’t like change.”
    He smiled as he added a single cube of sugar to his coffee. “Precisely.”
    She lifted her cup and took a sip, sighing as she swallowed. “Shouldn’t you be drinking tea, then?”
    His smile expanded. “Yes, but that just proves I can change.”
    She grinned back.
    “I’m glad you like the library. It’s my favorite room.”
    “How could it not be?”
    “Did you sleep well? Or did all that steak and chocolate keep you up?” Or thoughts of the kiss, which had